The invention relates to a surgical instrument for gripping and holding objects in the inside of the body, in particular for laparoscopic operations.
Numerous surgical instruments are known which are used to manipulate tissue. The tool designed in the form of forceps is connected to a rigid or flexible tube and is actuated, by an operating device arranged at the other end of the tube.
In laparoscopic surgery, a disadvantage of such instruments is that limits are placed on the size of the distal tool by the fact that the surgical apparatus must be introduced into the inside of the body through a cannula. These cannulae normally have a diameter of 10 to 20 mm. As a result, the gripper jaws of the forceps can only be of a very small design and consequently are suitable solely for such applications as the removal of tissue samples from the human body. However, the gripping and holding of other surgical objects in the body requires larger area gripping and holding elements.
The object of the invention, therefore is, to create an endoscopic gripping device whose gripper jaws can be introduced in the folded-together position through a cannula into the inside of the body and then, before the positioning at the surgical object, be enlarged into a position of operational certainty.